Combining sonoelastography with conventional B-mode ultrasound improves the differentiation of benign and malignant breast masses smaller than 1 cm, according to this presentation by Korean researchers.

The group wanted to see if adding sonoelastography to B-mode ultrasound could improve differentiation of small masses, with the ultimate goal of reducing unnecessary biopsies. To this end, they examined 315 breast masses (267 benign and 48 malignant) in a population of 278 patients who had been scheduled for biopsy between March and October 2009.

The performances of sonoelastography and B-mode ultrasound were analyzed independently and then in combination with each other. With elastography, radiologists calculated a strain ratio, thus producing elasticity scores.

The authors concluded that combining B-mode ultrasound with elasticity could reduce unnecessary biopsies of small suspicious breast masses, according to Sung Hun Kim, MD, who participated in the study.